TREFOR

TREFOR powers ahead with online sales, using Sitecore®

TREFOR is a privately owned Danish utility company retailing electricity, gas, broadband services, and household installation and maintenance services across Denmark as well as combined heat and power (CHP) and water supplies to areas across Jutland and the island of Funen. It has more than 135,000 customers and an annual turnover of 2.5 billion Danish kroner (US$419 million, €335 million), with 625 employees based at its headquarters, in Kolding, Denmark. The Danish retail energy market has been deregulated and commercialized over the last 10 years, thus increasing the competition between the established companies, such as TREFOR, and also competition from new players in the industry. In order to succeed in this very competitive environment, TREFOR has identified innovative digital services and tools as a competitive parameter, which will help make TREFOR the preferred brand to current and potential customers.

Challenge

Utility customers now turn to digital sources to research utility providers and want to be able to switch providers and manage their utility accounts online. TREFOR therefore wanted to evolve its digital strategy and take leadership. Its previous website was a mosaic of many different, disconnected marketing activities, and there was no coherent strategy. The business needed to begin to convert sales directly on its site, on any device, by delivering an experience for all of its target
audiences—households, businesses, and government customers—that showcases its comprehensive offerings. Customers also want to use online self-service to manage their utilities and resolve any issues. This is a major benefit for TREFOR, because self-service saves valuable call center resources. Pricing and deals change quickly, and TREFOR faces challenging competitors. The business felt restricted by its website’s existing proprietary content management system (CMS), which could not manage online sales, was slow and problematic to update, and did not adapt to the needs of its three target customer groups.

Solution

TREFOR worked with Danish Sitecore Solution Partner DIS/PLAY to implement the Sitecore® Experience Platform™ with a brief focused on online sales conversion, delivering excellent customer service, tailoring content to each of its three target audiences, and providing a fresh brand showcase that reflects the dynamic TREFOR brand. DIS/PLAY started with TREFOR’s strategic business objectives, involving the entire executive team to ensure that all digital investments were aligned with the business. DIS/PLAY understood that the TREFOR website had to help guide prospects through sales conversion, so with DIS/PLAY developing an engaging customer experience on the Sitecore platform, the site uses Sitecore to manage engagement data and analyze conversions to achieve this and to calculate ROI (return on investment). TREFOR knew that it wanted to move quickly in a competitive market, and DIS/PLAY knew that Sitecore provided an excellent platform for rapid
development of its new website.

Results

Using Sitecore, DIS/PLAY moved from scoping the TREFOR project to final delivery in just three months, with a responsive website ideal for any device: smartphone, laptop, or tablet. Content for its three target audiences is clear, easy to access, and easy to understand and offers self-service account management to enhance the customer experience. Prospects benefit from the latest pricing information, due to Sitecore’s integration with TREFOR’s Microsoft customer relationship management (CRM) system. The TREFOR executive board now benefits from comprehensive web, customer engagement, and sales conversion data from the Sitecore platform, which ensures that it can analyze sales success and further refine the marketing and sales strategy, with the ability to make quick changes where necessary.

TREFOR now has an effective online sales operation using Sitecore and, from a standing start, has increased online sales by 155%, opening up the digital sales channel, and capitalizing on a growing prospect base looking for online utility providers. The company has already achieved ROI on its new website. Sitecore, with DIS/PLAY, now offers a platform for further growth as TREFOR continues to evaluate and evolve its digital strategy and operations.